I Mean No Harm
by jenkin
Summary: Kakashi is the legendary ANBU assassin code-named Hound who will do anything to repay his debt to a certain chunin level teacher. KakaIruKaka
1. Chapter 1

ANBU, the special assassination and tactical squad of Konohagakure, also commonly referred to as hunter nin, is a squad of elite jounin level ninja assigned S-class missions for the better of the village. An ANBU does not have feelings they are simply sharpened tools of destruction used for however the village sees fit.

…

Kakashi brought his hands together as he evaded a kunai aimed at his heart, lightening pulsating from the palm of his right hand before he ran it through his final attacker's chest. He closed his heart off and remained unfeeling as he pulled his hand out of a mere pre-genin's tiny body. He wasn't Kakashi he was Hound, the ANBU assassin who had been sent on a mission to kill the emperor's grandchild and only heir from the Land of the Stone. Hound took a scroll from out of his pack and released the body of a missing mist nin with kunai haphazardly thrown into his body to look like the work of a pre-genin, a fatal blow to the back of the head. The ANBU leant down and placed the mist nin's body near the dead bodyguard who had so valiantly tried to save the young boy from the mercilessness of the ANBU with a wooden sword, but failed. He shook his head at the sight of the sword and smeared blood on the blunt weapon, honestly who in their right mind would attack an enemy without an actual weapon. Hound had defintely not been expecting that and had to make sure the man hit the dead mist nin's head before he killed him. It was his lucky day that the mist nin he captured, had also been a known lightning user who was a copy cat of the infamous Copy Ninja.

He looked around the room, and disappeared without a sound, arriving several miles from the mansion in time to hear the scream of presumably a maid and the ninja that had been loitering outside now alerted, Mission complete. Hound turned around and sped back to Konohagakure to report. Only stopping occasionally to make sure he wasn't being followed and to eat a soldier pill to give him extra stamina. He couldn't remember the last time he ate a real meal, food was a luxury simply ANBU did not have.

Hound stopped on a tree branch, out of sight as he watched the group of genin watching the border for anything suspicious. A mere D-rank mission as they were only to report and never engage in battle, he readied a kunai in case he was seen and teleported past the border soundlessly and continued homeward. Though home didn't really mean anything to him, he was a weapon.

Several hours later he passed through the gates of Konohagakure, not even bothering to check in with the guards, he was Hound the legendary ANBU that kids idolized and ninja respected. If an enemy ever saw his mask they knew it meant only one thing, death. He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, his feet so light when he landed they didn't even make noise. Hound disappeared as he used the transportation jutsu for the third time that day. He kneeled and looked down at his feet as he reported to the Head of ANBU, second in command to the Hokage.

"Mission Complete, Stone will think it was Mist who attacked them," He said simply and awaited his next mission that was simply how things worked in ANBU. Short and quick to the point was how the ANBU worked, he would file a formal report of the mission the next day.

"Your next mission is an S-rank take a team to dispose of a group of missing Leaf nin located near the Sand Country Border, exterminate all, jounin level ninja estimated to be twenty, collect the stolen scrolls they plan to trade and report back." Hound nodded and instantly four other ANBU appeared at his side simultaneously once they were summoned by the head. The team exited the group and set off for the Sand country border why Hound briefed them of the mission.

They arrived within hours and Hound ate another soldier pill to sustain him and signaled to the four to surround the camp, frowning he had a bad feeling. Hound threw in the smoke bombs and the ANBU leaped to strike their target down. He soon realized he was right about the bad feeling he had, the camp had gained reinforcements, doubling their numbers who they had steathily kept hidden until they were attacked. Even if he was the legendary Copy Ninja with Sharingan there was no way five ANBU could take on forty- elite missing nin especially if they were all jounin level or Ex- ANBU themselves. Hound turned in time to see one of his comrades struck down with a lightning and water combo jutsu. That left four ANBU; he had to find the scrolls or the mission would fail completely. He ran into the nearby tent and grabbed one of the sealed scrolls, just in time to dodge a poison senbon.

Hound quickly pocketed the scroll and signed a fire jutsu at lightning speed, before he burned the remainder of the scrolls so as to not let them fall into enemy hands, letting three senbon pierce his left arm, right shoulder and left thigh in the process. He turned around and instantly killed his attacker with a single kunai to the heart, the enemy disappearing into smoke, a clone. Hound exited the tent and quickly took out the poison senbon before readying his chidori, 16 down 24 more to go.

…

Hound carried the only surviving member of his team on his back as he raced home, unable to even teleport due to chakra exhaustion. Every missing nin was exterminated, the scrolls kept from enemy hands, and his teammate was dying in his arms while he himself was slowly bleeding out. His feet couldn't carry him fast enough as he leapt from tree to tree, cautious as to whether or not there were survivors following him. Hound turned in time to throw his final kunai at his follower who dodged easily enough and landed on the branch, next to where the kunai had lodged itself.

"Release!" Hound felt no remorse as he leapt away from the explosion which the jounin hadn't even seen coming. He readjusted the ANBU in his numb arms; he lost almost all feeling in them when he was poisoned again. He had quickly taken the antidote but that didn't mean that it had taken effect yet. The only reassurance that the man in his arms was even alive was the small heartbeat and shallows breaths he ever so occasionally felt. Hound sped through the forest for another hour and a half before he stumbled through the gates once again. The sky darkened to a deadly shade of black and he frowned, nighttime was where you either attacked or got attacked and neither sounded good in his situation.

He bit back a groan as he felt the effects of his last soldier pill wear off. Hound continued on to the hospital and unceremoniously dumped his comrade on one of the rookie nurses.

"His name is Yaro of the Akimichi clan, codename Pig. Deadly poison in his system, I've registered the antidote, multiple stab wounds, chakra exhaustion, and broken bones," He said coolly before running in the other direction and running to the headquarters as he heard the nurse yell after him. First things first he had to report and return the scroll before he went home. Hound managed to jump to the top of a nearby roof and clumsily jumped from place to place. He hated hospitals, the smell of anesthetic, tears of citizens, just the atmosphere of hospitals was a put off. It was also the place where you were required to reveal you identity in case of allergies.

Hound blinked, his vision was getting blurry, maybe he took the wrong antidote after all? If he had taken the wrong one, then he was as good as dead. He landed on a tree branch as he felt himself begin to sway, his vision turning as dark as the sky as he was suddenly being pulled down by gravity, _shit._ The last thing he remembered was a smooth, rich voice filled with concern. They couldn't have been talking to him, no one cared whether he lived or died.

...

Waking to something touching you was definitely a bad way to wake as an ANBU. Instinct took over as he instantly grabbed the object and prepared to kill. It only took an instant to take the kunai from underneath the pillow and pin the person who even dared to touch a sleeping ANBU, to the bed and hold the sharpened blade to their throat. The figure stilled as his arm was suddenly pulled behind his back as if to break it and a kunai was about to slit his throat.

"P-please d-don't, I was just checking up." Hound took a second to realize he had been stripped of his armor, his chest was wrapped in gauze and the stab wound in his side had stopped bleeding and was covered in what felt like ointment and a patch of gauze taped to his side. He looked around the room, gaining Intel on where he was, the man beneath him appeared to be a teacher, based on the multitude of poorly drawn pictures hung on the walls labeled with '_To the bestest sensei ever!'_, chunin level simply based on how easily he had been pinned- _not a threat_. Hound lowered his weapon and released the chunin's arm, noting how the body beneath him instantly went slack with relief- _positively not a threat_.

"Where am I?" The silver haired ANBU stood up even though his body protested the sudden movement. He leaned down and proceeded to put his armor on once more when he was gently stopped by a firm but tender hand on his wrist, "Hound-sama you should go to the hospital! I've treated your wounds to the best of my ability but if you strain yourself it will all be for naught." A red blush ghosted over the man's scarred face and he quickly released his grip on the ANBU's wrist.

Oh right. He'd almost forgotten. Hound readjusted the kunai in his hand and got into striking position, "Did you, ever once take my mask off?" The brunette scampered away as fast as he could on the bed, it's once white sheets stained red from either his or the enemy's blood. The man held his hands up defensively, "N-no! I would never!" Hound held his stance for a few moments finding nothing but the truth as he looked into those chocolate eyes, a truthful person was a rarity to an ANBU. He lowered his weapon and continued latching on the pieces of his armor quickly before he opened the window, finding it to be still dark outside. Good, he wasn't out for very long.

He turned to look at the shocked brunette on the bed and nodded approval before disappearing in the darkness. Hound arrived but moments later at headquarters and set the only remaining scroll before the Head.

"Report."

"3 ANBU dead, code-names were Mole, Rat, and Horse, 1 ANBU in fatal condition, Pig, enemy camp destroyed, no remaining survivors, and the remaining scrolls have been burned due to dangerous circumstances." The head nodded with a raised eyebrow as he picked up the last scroll containing important info.

" Mission complete. Kakashi, I want you to go to the hospital and you are out of duty until you are fully recovered. Even from here I can tell you're like a walking corpse." Hound vanished and he soon became Kakashi after mission complete.

"Maa~ I've been treated by a tender hearted angel I met on the street, there's no need to go to the hospital," the silver haired ANBU said lazily as he scratched the back of his head.

"Cut the shit. Dismissed." Kakashi scowled behind the mask but left the room, leaving only a leaf behind from his jutsu. He fell to his knees as he arrived in front of the hospital, teleportation in his condition hadn't been a good idea. Any previous chakra he had had left was now gone for sure.

"Hound-sama!" A young nurse, about the same age as the one he dumped Pig on was quickly helping him up and leading him to the examination room. He blinked and noticed for the first time he was still covered in blood. It barely took seconds before she had snapped all of his armor off and was helping him pull his shirt off. She blushed as she took in all of the toned muscles of the legendary Hound of Konoha, maybe she should start doing overtime more. She didn't bother to even ask if he could take off the mask, only an idiot would attempt to see what is underneath while the ANBU is conscious.

Kakashi watched lazily as she quickly began undoing all of the scarred brunette's handiwork, feeling slightly disappointed as he watched it come off so soon. She quickly stitched the gash on his side up and repaired his broken kneecap, huh he hadn't even noticed. He didn't even make a sound as she readjusted his dislocated shoulder, simply gritting his teeth. The nurse seemed slightly scared by his lack of reaction; maybe he should try and act more human next time instead of a lifeless tool.

Kakashi ran his hand through his hair, "Is that all? Then I better be going."

"Hound-sama!It isn't good for your health to be moving around so quickly with all of your injuries." Kakashi rolled his eyes, "Maa~ can't we just look over this little incident, I'm fine, really! Besides, I have a precious little bugger at home that is waiting for me," he lied. She stared at him long enough he was almost tempted to put a genjutsu on her so he could escape, too bad he didn't have any chakra left. His exhaustion levels were putting him near the dead shinobi, but he'd be fine if he just took another pill.

The nurse shook her head and scribbled down a few notes, "I can't believe I'm doing this." The instant she turned her back to him he vanished out the window as fast as his injured body could take him, not even bothering to wait for the pain pills she was sure to prescribe him, he was used to the pain. He let his feet take him to the place he called home, landing stealthily in front of his door before he disabled all of his traps and entered.

He had a big home, several rooms he never used, with a kitchen that was almost empty with the exception of fiber bars, a dining room with a singular table he never ate at, and a bedroom he hardly slept in, completely different from the brunette's humble abode. Compared to his, Kakashi's just looked dull and lifeless, he vaguely wondered why. His home wasn't quite as cluttered with furniture like the brunette's had been but it had most of the same things, like a couch and a singular bookshelf for his beloved IchaIcha books.

Kakashi shrugged as he took off the ashen ANBU mask and the rest of his armor for probably the hundredth time that day. He sighed a shower was out of the question with all of the gauze wrapped around his chest, but he still had blood in his hair, and that was just uncomfortable to sleep in. He however didn't feel like crouching over the sink to simply wash his hair and decided to let things be as he slowly sank into the soft mattress. There was a singular question on his mind as he drifted away into a half asleep-half awake doze, who was the brunette from before?

…

Iruka looked down at his heavily stained sheets and sighed, the ANBU was obviously in no condition to even move. He absentmindedly rubbed his wrist where the ANBU had touched. ANBU were certainly on a whole other playing field than him if they could move that swiftly severely injured. He could never move that fast even if he was at his best, he hadn't even seen the other man move before there was a kunai to his throat and his arm was locked in place. Then he even tried to command the possibly most dangerous man in Konoha to go to the hospital, maybe he should go himself so he could figure out whether or not he was as crazy as he thought he was. Iruka shook his head as he stripped the sheets off and replaced them with woolen olive green colored ones.

He had just been on his way home from a long day at the Mission's office when he saw the body collapsed in the street beside his home. Iruka gasped in surprise when he had first noticed the injured ANBU, he actually thought he was dead for a moment. He almost had to drag the ANBU as gently as he could before he managed to maneuver the other onto his back and into his home because unlike the person in his arms who seemed to not have a single ounce of fat on him and may be on the slimmer side, carrying another person wasn't second nature. It took a skillful mind and a lot of maneuvering to get the man situated on his bed, sitting up so he could treat him.

Iruka had scurried all across his home to find the first-aid kit he misplaced some time ago. The thought to peek underneath the mask never even occurred to him as he was so focused on trying to stop the bleeding. He was no medical ninja, but he had been on enough missions to at least be smart enough to know the basics of how to treat a wound. Iruka generously dabbed the antibiotic ointment over the wounds, after he'd managed to stop the bleeding.

He had wrapped the gauze around the unconscious man's chest to the best of his ability but it still appeared to be too loose. Iruka had also taped a patch of gauze around the stab wound on the man's lower abdomen and had gently laid the man down on the pillow. Thoughts raced through his mind as he wondered what he should do, he couldn't simply let the living legend of Konoha die on his bed because he was stupid. Maybe he should notify ANBU headquarters, but that might have gotten the man in trouble. So he just sat at the kitchen table grading papers at backbreaking speed, should he make soup in case the man woke up?

Unfortunately he never had the chance to because the next the time he went to check up on the man he was pinned and the man vanished out of the window several minutes later. Iruka shook his head, he should have taken him to the hospital so he could've gotten proper treatment, and if he died later then it would be entirely his fault. Iruka replaced the kunai under his pillow as he stared up at the ceiling, worry and concern bogging his thoughts and rendering him unable to sleep.

Maybe he should make cookies for his class as a present tomorrow since they all passed his recent test, even Naruto with a C-. He sat up out of his bed, he had nothing better to do anyways and the baking would take his thoughts away from the injured man he knew absolutely nothing about aside from the rumors that floated around town. Iruka was never one to believe in rumors but from what Iruka had seen from the man, the ANBU was definitely more than capable of being what the rumors said he was. It was like the two were in two entirely different worlds. The man had literally bested Iruka in two seconds flat while he was at his best and the other was severely injured. Iruka tried not to feel as pathetic as he thought he was and proceed to get out the ingredients to bake cookies for his class, or would brownies be better?

**Yay I finally have a Kakashi x Iruka story up, hizzah!**


	2. Chapter 2

Kakashi woke at exactly 5 A.M like he did every morning, he frowned he had had been hoping that his injured body would let him sleep in on his day off. He supposed he could visit Pig but they weren't even close or even what by society's standards could be considered _friends,_ so it wouldn't be in his place. Kakashi had no friends, he was an ANBU, and friends were hindrances as well as feelings. He sat up and yawned before he decided to do what he did every time he had a day off, visit the memorial stone. All of his friends were dead. Kakashi sighed and sat up, he felt like shit but he was used to that. He sighed, gauze or not he was taking a shower.

Kakashi gently unraveled the white linen off his chest, a slash going diagonal from the top of his right pectoral to the lower left. Maybe if he returned to the hospital they would be able to heal it so that it wouldn't scar, not that he cared, and he had so many already adding another to the list didn't really matter. Oh, but he forgot about where he was stabbed by a kunai slightly above his right hip bone, that one had needed stitches, it was definitely going to scar, oh well. Kakashi peeled the patch off his hip to reveal the stitches and yawned once again.

He turned the shower on, the water coming down in gentle droplets not even bothering to wait for the water to warm up before he stepped in and let the water cascade down his injured body. Kakashi quickly rinsed the dirt and grime that had accumulated from the past week or so of doing non-stop missions. Damn, he had really needed a shower, he was almost positive his hair was an entire shade lighter now without all the dried blood and dirt caught in it. Kakashi quickly scrubbed the rest of his body down and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel that smelled stale and made a mental note to wash it with his uniform later. He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked back into the plain open area that was his bedroom. Kakashi ran the towel through his hair before chucking it in the laundry pile, vaguely wondering if the brunette's towels smelled stale, probably not, they probably smelled like tea or something sweet. The brunette would be able to frequently wash his belongings, unlike him who sometimes went over a month without doing laundry, wearing the same bloodstained uniform for an extended amount of time.

Kakashi probably smelled like a sewer most of the time but it's not like anyone ever had the guts to ever tell him. ANBU simply did not have the usual luxuries regular ninja had, and it was common for ANBU to go without food, sleep, and hygiene, after all why would a tool require all of those things? He was a tool for the village's disposal, but when he was gifted with the rarity of a break he mainly spent it all talking to those who have already passed. Kakashi quickly slipped on a pair of underwear and another uniform, he didn't have anything else but a certain amount of uniforms at his disposal to wear. He clicked the ANBU armor over his uniform and replaced his mask.

Kakashi hardly ever left without his mask and even if he did he still wore a mask and a Konoha head guard over his sharingan eye. Paranoia was a trait every ANBU had, always on guard and on the lookout for any potential threats. Anyone could be the enemy in disguise waiting to kill you and make an attack, with that knowledge who wouldn't be paranoid? He however had another idea on how he was going to spend his rare day off and that would be on how to make up his debt to the brunette teacher had had nearly killed. Kakashi could always visit the stone after he finished his business.

Kakashi left the apartment quietly through the window and ran until he arrived at what he believed to be the teacher's house. He frowned, as an ANBU he had almost zero social skills, his work simply didn't require that. What could the teacher possibly want as thanks? Maybe he would find out after a little research. The ANBU jumped up and easily balanced on the windowsill and took out a small lock pick he carried at all times.

Will the skill of an expert he opened the window and stepped in, dismantling all of the chunin's traps with the grace of an assassin in his element. Kakashi looked around the bedroom he had been in last night, the stained sheets still bundled in the corner. During the daylight the warmth of the room filled with pictures sloppily drawn by kids hung seemed increased ten-fold. He slid his hands in his pockets as he walked into the hallway and what seemed to be the living room.

There was a well worn brown couch near the windows, and in front was a coffee table with papers strewn across the surface with a half filled cup of tea from presumably this morning. Kakashi picked up what appeared to be the graded homework of the chunin's students. Sasuke Uchiha, well apparently he was as talented as his older brother with the perfect score he made. He set the paper back and stood in front of the teacher's teaching diploma, _Iruka Umino._

"Iruka-sensei." Kakashi smiled slightly at how the name easily rolled off of his tongue. He padded around the small but welcoming apartment of the teacher's for a while longer before sighing. Apparently the teacher loved collecting the crap his students dumped on him but he highly doubted a full grown man doing the same would have the same effect. The teacher was a ninja, he might have some enemies he wants out of the way. That's what Kakashi would want if an assassin were to do a favor. He lazily scratched the back of his head as he walked back to the room he entered and alarmed all of the traps once more. He slid the window closed, not bothering to lock it, the teacher would more likely think he'd left it unlocked than someone breaking in his house and purposely resetting all of his traps.

Kakashi walked down the dirt road, letting his feet take him to the Academy where he might hopefully catch the teacher in time for lunch.

When he arrived the teacher was handing out papers and scolding the exact replica of his beloved Sensei. Kakashi smiled sadly, the kid seemed to have gotten father's looks and mother's personality. He watched in silence as he continued waiting for the teacher to get back to class and to presume teaching. Kakashi cocked his head in confusion, had he missed the lunch period? That wouldn't be surprising considering he hardly ever ate at the normal times everyone else did. He frowned, would it be rude to ask the teacher what he required now? Kakashi shrugged he'd seen other do it countless times and if he messed up then he would simply apologize.

With speed that even the Yellow Flash would be proud of the silver haired jounin entered the class and kneeled at the brunette's feet exactly like he would do with the Head. The chunin had immediately jumped and instinctively put his hand on his weapons pouch before he sighed with relief. Kakashi frowned, he messed up, but he had seen others enter through the window countless times as a kid, then again they were at war at the time. He had also seemingly embarrassed the teacher judging by the shade of red his face had turned, or was he seething with anger? Kakashi cleared his throat, "I would like to humbly thank you for the service you provided yesterday. I will do whatever you require." He bowed his head like he had been taught to do when receiving orders and awaited the chunin's answer.

Kakashi was surprised when a hand lightly touched his shoulder and guided him to his feet. He blinked as he took in the sight of the teacher who was undeniably as red as a tomato and looking toward his class of students rather than him in embarrassment. The man was practically the definition of 'cute'.

"I'm going to step out for a few while I discuss matters with my, uh, well whatever! I'll be right by the door so If I hear a peep out of anyone of you, there will be a pop quiz!" Iruka nodded confidently at the displeased groan from the class as he led the ANBU into the hall. Kakashi smiled, the teacher had a temper. That only made him so much cuter. He held back a chuckle and schooled his features back to normal even though the teacher would have no way of telling.

"Maa~ my apologies Iruka-sensei~ I did not mean to disrupt but it appeared as if I missed the chance to talk to you at lunch." Iruka had seemed slightly take aback by the lazy attitude and slow drawl Kakashi usually had when he was himself, but quickly smiled and shook his head. Kakashi found himself comparing that smile to the sun, it was simply breathtaking and _warm._

"Not at all, I was just about to re-teach what those brats learned yesterday because most of them seemed to not understand. Um, I'm glad to see you're okay." Iruka scratched at his scar, "You left so suddenly, I was worried whether or not something would happen to you." Kakashi was shocked by that statement, how could a person worry about another when they had just met? Iruka smiled, "Sorry, that probably sounds weird coming from a stranger, but I truthfully was worried for your well being after seeing you with so many injuries." He eyed the ANBU's lithe form covered completely by clothes, trying to look for any wounds.

"Should you be walking around in your condition? I don't want your wounds to worsen."

"It's fine, those were just scratches. I came by to thank you for your help while I was out of action. I always repay my debts, just say the word and I will do anything you wish." Iruka's eyebrows furrowed and he looked as if he wanted to say something but decided against it.

"You don't have to do that." Kakashi frowned, "I always repay my debts." Iruka sighed as he crossed his arms and stared at the floor in thought.

"Normally weapon's training happens a little later but I'm sure the kids will benefit if they see an expert at practice. I know ANBU don't normally spend time showing pre-genin how to throw a kunai, but that's the only thing I can think of on such short notice."

"I swear to god you stupid bastard I'm gonna beat the crap out of you!" Iruka's winced at Naruto's sudden outburst and sighed, he'd been hoping the hyperactive blond could make it more than five minutes without fighting with Sasuke.

"Shut up, Naruto! Iruka-sensei is going to here you!" He rolled his eyes, even Sakura-chan?

Iruka glanced up at Kakashi, "Do you want to eat lunch first, while I take care of the kids? You missed it right? You can wait in the teachers lounge." Kakashi shrugged, "I don't mind observing you teach." Iruka nodded and Kakashi opened the door and unsurprisingly a chalk eraser began to fall. It fell and landed on his head with a white poof making his already silver hair even whiter. Naruto laughed obnoxiously, "What kind of ANBU can't dodge an eraser?! We'll be dead in minutes if that's who is protecting us."

It took only a second before Iruka was grabbing the pre-genin by the ear and pulling him into the hall to scold him. Kakashi leaned against the teacher's desk and faced the students as he wiped dust from his hair. The children, with the exception of the Uchiha, practically cowered in fear at the teacher's booming voice from the hall. Iruka walked in with an air of satisfaction around him, "Take out a pencil and a piece of paper, we are going to have a pop quiz because you all couldn't manage to sit quietly while I was talking with Hound-sama." The class groaned and Kakashi scanned their faces in curiosity of who would probably fail. He found an Inuzuka with a pained face who was rubbing his temples, a boy who was sleeping on his arms, and Naruto Uzumaki who entered after the collective groan, with glassy eyes.

"This is all your fault Naruto!" A pinkette with an overly wide forehead exclaimed. The blond put his hands behind his head and turned away, "Yeah, yeah, yeah like I care." Iruka coughed, "Naruto was not the only one I heard in the hallway." The pinkette blushed and looked at her desk in shame. Naruto snickered and returned to his seat next to the Inuzuka who punched him in the arm. Kakashi put his hands in his pockets as Iruka began to name off the questions.

"First question, What clan assists in the recovery of the famous three pill secret weapon?" Kakashi watched as Iruka threw a piece of chalk at the sleeping boy who was most likely a Nara, he slowly woke up and looked around before sighing and returning back to his previous position on his arms, muttering under his breath about how school was 'such a drag'. The Inuzuka ran his hands through his hair in agitation when ironically the answer was sleeping in front of him, while Naruto zoned out after guessing. He smiled, it was good that they could take things so slow nowadays. When he was their age he was already a chunin who fought in war. Iruka sighed and asked another simple question so that half the class possibly didn't fail. It seemed the class had been learning about the different clans of Konoha and their specialties.

To his surprise there was also an Akimichi clan member but judging from the way he was happily eating bag after bag of chips while he sat next to the Nara kid, Pig must not have been a direct relative, possibly a cousin of some sorts. Kakashi vaguely wondered if his comrade had survived, or not, but he chose not to dwell on it. He was interrupted from his thoughts by the feisty teacher letting out an exasperated sigh and sneaking a glance a the uncaring ANBU leaning against the desk.

"Last question, What was the Fourth Hokage's nickname?" Kakashi frowned, he hadn't been to the memorial stone in several weeks, he really needed to visit later. "Everyone don't forget to write your name before you flip your paper over." The student's did as they were told and Iruka hastily traveled across the room to pick up the papers. Iruka smiled at Kakashi while he set the papers back down on the desk and cleared his throat, "Everyone, we have a special guest today who will assist us in weapon's training!" The class nodded in excitement a certain familiar blond perked up, "So are you like a real high level ninja?!" Kakashi nodded slowly, "One of the highest," he drawled. The class collectively said, 'cool' and Iruka smiled at Kakashi as the students began to line up by the door. The silver haired jounin found that he liked it when Iruka smiled, really liked it. Kakashi got up from his place against the desk and followed the class to where they were supposed to train. Iruka had gotten a pack of training kunai somehow, huh, he hadn't even seen the chunin enter the supply closet, interesting.

In front of him was the rowdy blond who was too much like his mother for his own good, an exact replica of Minato with Kushina's mouth was quite comical actually. Naruto kept turning and looking at him it was actually beginning to get creepy. The kid had his arms propped up behind him, " I'm gonna be Hokage one day, believe it! When I am, you can be my subordinate since you're really cool looking!" Kakashi smiled softly and patted the blond's head effectively stopping him to look at his scarred face, "I'll wait for that day." Naruto grinned and bounded to catch up while Kakashi took several long strides and put his hands back in his pockets. Iruka waited for him at the doorway, "Are you sure you're fit to do this? You're about to be surrounded by pre-genin who can't throw kunai, shuriken, or senbon in a straight line." Kakashi chuckled.

"I've been through worse than pre-genin in this condition. It kind of makes a difference when they're not purposefully trying to kill you." Iruka didn't look convinced, he saw all of Kakashi's wounds last night so he knew exactly what kind of condition the taller male was in. He sighed and stepped out of the way, "You're only doing demonstrations and _maybe_ helping pre-genin." Iruka's voice was stern and commanding and he led the ANBU over to the training dummies where the class was waiting. Kakashi smiled as the chunin made him stand the farthest away he could from the dummies. Iruka turned, scratching his scar,"It's uh a rule that the more skilled you are the farther away you stand." The brunette grinned, "Besides it's always fun to show off a little." The chunin looked at the three dummies, squinting slightly he could hit the targets from this distance but it had taken some practice.

"Do you want a warm up throw?" Kakashi shrugged and took out several of his own weapons from his pack and held a kunai in his dominate hand, "Sure." He lazily threw one at the middle dummy, hitting it between the eyes. Hitting a non-moving target was a piece if cake for someone with sharingan. There were some 'oohs' and aahs' before he yanked his arm back, pulling on the semi-invisible string connected to the end,and the Kunai came spiraling back to the two, Kakashi easily catching the weapon before it hit his face.

"Impressive. As expected of the legendary Hound-sama." Iruka had a proud smile on his face with his hands on his hips as he spoke fondly of the man next to him. _Adorable__._

"Hound, just call me Hound." Warm chocolate eyes locked with his, seemingly judging for a facial expression before he smiled softly, slightly pink in the cheeks, sending the unsuspecting ANBU's heart to flutter like a butterfly in his chest. Kakashi frowned and wiped the feeling away as quickly as it came, "So how do you want me to hit them?" Iruka shrugged, "However you want." Kakashi nodded and pictured the dummies as enemy ninja, quickly throwing all of his weapons, some of them clanking against the others and bouncing into a different direction as they sped threw the air. The class was silent this time before Naruto's obnoxious laughter pierced it, "What's with that? He hit them in random places!" Sasuke frowned before elbowing his 'supposed' rival in the side, "Dobe, he hit all of the vital points, from that far, he could probably kill you with his pinky." Naruto gulped before elbowing Sasuke back and the beginning of another fight between the two once again started. Iruka separated them within seconds and Kakashi was leaning against the very tree he had been observing from earlier. He lazily pulled the weapons out of the dummies with the strings and slowly untangled the mass of weapons. The pre-genin took their stances in front of the dummies with several kunai confident grins on their faces.

Kakashi evaded a kunai that somehow end up coming his way, he pulled the weapon out of the tree and noticed the Inuzuka looking around, "Huh? Where did it go?" The weapon disappeared out of his hand with a puff of smoke and appeared in Iruka's hand. Clever, attach a justu to the weapons and you could summon all of the lost weapons. The set of pre-genin changed and Kakashi watched interestedly at Minato's heir who had his chest and cheeks puffed out to the max. Naruto got into stance and threw the kunai in a way Kakashi actually expected something, only to be disappointed when none of them hit their mark. He chuckled and stood next to the boy, "Do it like this." Kakashi put a kunai in the boy's hand and flicked his wrist gently, but forcefully enough to send the weapon flying into the wood. Naruto's face lit up so much it was like staring up at the sun.

"Iruka-sensei! Look I did it! I hit one!" Naruto was almost jumping up in down in his excitement as the brunette looked between the two.

"Very good! Maybe we can celebrate with some ramen later?" Naruto gave Kakashi a thumbs up before changing turns with another classmate. "You're surprisingly a good teacher. Ever thought about becoming a squad leader?" Truthfully Kakashi never even thought about it, he kind of figured he would be an ANBU forever. He simply shrugged, and Iruka nodded and returned to the students. Kakashi left as soon as the training was over, and gave Iruka a nod before he disappeared. He put a hand over his chest at the thought of never seeing the chunin again, their must be some side effect of the poison left in his system, that was the only explanation, weapons don't have feelings.


	3. Chapter 3

Kakashi quickly bought some flowers before he went to the memorial stone, it had been so long since he visited, it wouldn't have been right to go empty handed. When he arrived he was somewhat pleased to find the area void of people, it was perfect because it meant he would have some privacy. He gently placed the bouquet of sunflowers he bought before the stone as he looked at the three names carved next to each other on the stone. Kakashi put his hands in his pockets and looked at the names of the only people who had managed to make their way into his heart. He let out a shaky breath but otherwise remained indifferent before he took off his mask and faced them.

"You guys would never guess who I happened to meet today." Kakashi waited in silence as he pictured their reactions, his sensei would be excited he met someone new, Rin would look at him with her curious, brown eyes, Obito would practically be leaning off his seat at the fact Kakashi had chosen to speak to them at all. He wasn't exactly the most talkative person in their squad at the time.

"I met Sensei's son, Naruto Uzumaki. An exact clone of sensei, with Kushina-san's ego." Kakashi smiled sadly and remained silent for a few minutes before deciding to speak again. "He wasn't the only one I met today, though." He paused before continuing, "I met someone who is my opposite. He is why I am probably still alive right now." Kakashi chuckled half-heartedly, "I guess I won't be visiting you guys quite yet." What felt like hours passed by as he stood staring at the stone. He vanished into a tree when he felt the presence of someone's chakra. Kakashi looked over his shoulder a final time before he replaced his mask and decided it was time once again to part ways, for now.

It had been nine days since he had last eaten a proper meal but his pack needed to eat every day and he was almost out of food. He had to stop by the market to get food for them, maybe some treats. Kakashi took his sweet time to get there, not wanting to push his body harder than it needed to be. He landed in front of the pet/ ninken store with his hands in his pockets and earned a startled gasp from the young girl sweeping outside the shop, a civilian. Kakashi frowned he knew of his somewhat infamous/famous reputation for being a merciless killer but he wasn't about to kill the very people he was trying to protect.

Kakashi turned away and opened the door to the shop and walked inside, heading straight to the back where he proceeded to pick up his order of ten bags. He really wished they delivered or that there was a place closer to his home, but there wasn't and the tiny shop was the only place that sold ninken food in all of Konoha. Kakashi picked up a bag of treats and took out his wallet to pay, eyeing the nervous cashier behind his mask.

"G-good afternoon A-anbu-sama! You c-came on s-sale day! F-food is half off!" Kakashi didn't feel the need to remark about how every time he came it was always 'sale day'. It wasn't like he ever threatened anyone in the shop, hell the only time he ever really spoke to them was when he ordered the food for his pack. Though he did spook them that one time when he wrote a transportation seal on the bag of food with his blood, but regardless of how strong he was he couldn't carry ten bags of dog food several miles in one go. He handed the money to the cashier, "I'll need another ten bags by the same time next month."

"M-my pleasure!" Kakashi nodded and pricked his thumb quickly, drawing the sign so fast the cashier's untrained eyes couldn't see. They disappeared with a poof and he left still carrying the bag of treats, he'd forgotten to put them in the pile, oh well. Kakashi turned a corner before he was pushed back a foot for a second. It was rare for someone to actually bump into him, most people usually kept their distance. It was even rarer that that said person just so happened to be a brunette, haired chunin teacher.

Iruka looked just as surprised as he did, or would have looked without his mask, "I-it's you!" Iruka blushed slightly at stating the obvious but the words had slipped out before he could have stopped them. Kakashi nodded quickly, still slightly shocked himself. He was about to leave when his clawed hand with the treats was grabbed, "Do you have dogs?" Kakashi nodded, he wasn't good with small talk like normal people, he was a very blunt and straight to the point type of guy. Iruka smiled at him, "How many?"

"Eight," he drawled. It was weird, seeing Iruka again. Fate was strange like that, it had a way of drawing people together, especially so soon. Iruka's mouth fell open slightly, eight was indeed a large number of dogs for a ninja. He was confused for a moment before he realized the only way Kakashi would be able to take care of them was if they were ninken. Somehow he never really took the ANBU to be an animal person. It was at that moment Iruka felt as stupid as he must have sounded, of course Hound had ninken, he was even legendary for it. He inwardly groaned, grateful that the ANBU was nice enough to not call him out on the mistake.

"I'm just getting back from my shift at the Mission's office, my home is near here, would you like to have some tea?" Kakashi examined Iruka's behavior simply out of habit. He was guarded yet relaxed and judging by hand twitch, slightly nervous. The chunin's reactions were understandable not everyone could invite a highly trained assassin to their home for evening tea. In fact most people who were not ANBU didn't dare to even talk to them unless receiving orders. Iruka was an anomaly in the way he seemed to treat everyone the same.

"What happened to ramen with Naruto?" He asked lazily, putting his free hand in his pocket. Iruuka let a long drawn out sigh at that, "That little..._bugger_ got in trouble again, so as punishment, no ramen!" Iruka crossed his arms and huffed as he seemed to recall the memory. Kakashi, being mildly curious was tempted to have Iruka elaborate when his tattoo began to burn. He rolled his eyes behind his mask, seriously?

"I'm sorry Iruka -sensei it seems I'm being summoned. I'll have to take a rain check on that tea." Iruka nodded dumbly before Kakashi coolly disappeared. The brunette's shoulders slumped in disappointment as soon as the ANBU left, of course he had more important things to do than sit and have tea with a lowly chunin. He looked up when another ANBU appeared in front of him, kneeling. What was going on?

Meanwhile, Kakashi was fuming while he was standing in front of the Head, not bothering kneeling with his injuries. The Head chuckled, clearly amused, "Now, I know your mad because I interrupted, but trust me it wouldn't have been fun to be there when he realizes his house was broken into by a lazy jounin." Kakashi said nothing as a file was handed to him, labeled Umino, Iruka.

Once again the Head chuckled, "Relationships, are something even an ANBU needs." Now that was something you didn't hear everyday. Kakashi cleared his throat, "What is this about?" The Head intertwined his fingers, "Hound is a weapon, but you can't only be Hound you are Kakashi as well. Weapons break without proper care. To put it simply I don't trust you not to break or care for yourself. For example, when was your last meal?" Kakashi didn't have an answer to that, he honestly took only enough vitamins and nutrients to survive. " As the best ANBU we have, I can't let you break, so I've taken several pre-cautions. I know you won't care for yourself and what better way than to let the person you've been eying be responsible for that?" If Kakashi were any less unprofessional he would have face palmed, he didn't even need to ask to know who had been assigned to follow him.

"He's just a chunin, I will be nothing but a bother." The Head dismissed him, "I assume you know by now that he is not that type of person. You are dismissed, now go home, eat a meal, and care for your wounds, because I'm not assigning another mission until you're fully healed."

"Maa~ so you do care, I'm touched." Kakashi put his hands over his heart in a mock gesture, it's effect partially diminished with the back of treats. The Head scowled at him, "Dismissed," he said sharply. Kakashi sighed and used his last remaining ounce of chakra to transport home, not fully knowing what to expect when he arrived. He didn't even bother disabling his traps, figuring they were already gone anyways, and he was right when he didn't get electrocuted when his hand touched the doorknob.

Kakashi entered his home slowly, cautious for any surprise attacks. He had a feeling about who was sent to pick or tell Iruka, but he wanted to make sure it wasn't Guy, oh hell no. He let a quick sigh of relief as he found, Cat sitting on his couch, holding a cup a tea. Kakashi was tempted to take off his mask but due to the clanking and muffled cursing in his kitchen the fiery chunin was currently in his home. He could feel Tenzou's amusement and he wanted nothing more than to slap the smugness off his kouhai's face.

"I didn't know you were so fragile you needed a caretaker, senpai." Kakashi's eye narrowed and in an instant his weapon was pulled and at his kouhai's throat as he took a seat next to him. He heard a glass break and another curse before Iruka stomped out of the kitchen finding Kakashi with his katana at the other man's neck. Iruka was frozen for a moment before shaking his head as he noticed Kakashi's casual position and the unaffected presumably kouhai.

"You have no food."

"Ah~ Sorry, I forgot to go shopping." Iruka glared at him, "You bought like twenty bags of food for your dogs, but you never thought to buy something for yourself? Every single cabinet is empty, actually the only thing I found was a bottle of soldier pills and an empty fiber bar box that dates back to last month." Kakashi sheathed his sword and scratched his head, he didn't really know what to say. Iruka clapped his hands together in a sign, "Stay here," he said quickly.

Tenzou leaned back, "He's interesting. Very forceful, almost knocked me out when I transported us. He is clearly very skilled at what he does."

"So much praise is rare for you." Kakashi took his mask off to get some air on his face for a few brief seconds before replacing it yet again. Tenzou shrugged, "He's a lot more likeable than you, senpai. I think he will do you good, you've been on a destructive path lately and it's quite noticeable. Especially if you almost die on the road, luckily for you Iruka volunteers for late night shifts at the Missions office or you would've been dead with all of that poison inside of you."

Kakashi nodded, "I've already repaid my debt."

"A life is worth more than a five minute demonstration." Kakashi scowled at that, Iruka had said it was fine. Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, "Does he know my identity?"

"We are unsure, but Head said depending on the circumstances identity exposure is nonpunishable, such as if you must take of your mask to have your wounds cleaned, etc..." Kakashi nodded, "He's not going to be living with me is he?"

"No, he will be doing daily checkups before work, lunch break, and dinner. If there is a problem he will report it. And whether or not he chooses to stay here instead of commuting is entirely up to him." Tenzou took his mask off for a few brief seconds as he took a few sips of the tea. Kakashi's eye twitched, "How long are _you_ planning on staying?" Tenzou frowned and his mask was replaced, "Tell me if something interesting happens, oh and thank Iruka-san for the tea as well." Kakashi waved him away and Tenzou quickly left through the window.

It was another fifteen minutes when Iruka arrived with groceries and frankly the most food Kakashi had seen in a long while. "Do regular people eat that much?" Iruka shrugged as he stared, dumfounded at the little orange book Kakashi was holding in his hand. It was obvious the chunin disapproved, but he kept his mouth shut and went back into the kitchen, leaving Kakashi to continue with his reading. He looked up from the edge of the book at several particularly loud clanks and mumbled curses. Slowly, a delicious aroma filled the air and he could feel his empty stomach groan. Kakashi was gradually becoming more impatient as that scent lingered in the air, tantalizing him and more accurately, his stomach.

When Iruka finally emerged, looking slightly annoyed, from the kitchen holding two plates of fried rice, Kakashi let out a relieved sigh and closed his book. He easily slid it back into his weapons pouch and took the plate and chopsticks from Iruka. Iruka looked around for a seat and, not finding any, took a seat next to Kakashi. He turned so his back would be to the jounin to give him the privacy to eat.

"It's not much, but at least it's better than fucking pills," Iruka bit out.

"You're mad," Kakashi stated simply. "And you have every right to be, being inconvenienced like this. Being stuck to babysit an ANBU isn't something you hear everyday. I apologize, none of this was done with my knowledge, honestly I was probably as surprised as you were." Iruka shrugged his shoulders, "It is a surprise, but that's not what I'm mad about. I looked through every single one of your cabinets and found absolutely no trace of actual food! What is wrong with you, don't you know that people need to eat to live?!" Kakashi scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "I honestly forget that I'm human sometimes." Iruka's shoulders drooped, "That's why I'm here," he said quietly.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence and no one said anything to the other. Iruka picked up the plates after Kakashi readjusted his mask and left for the kitchen, returning quickly. Iruka sat down as Kakashi stood up and walked over to one of the bags of food, tugging at the edge as he placed eight bowls in a straight line before he began dumping the contents. Iruka raised an eyebrow as he dumped about 1/4th of the bag in one bowl but Kakashi ignored him as he filled the other bowls quit moderately.

Kakashi kneeled down, his injured body protesting at the movement, and brought his hands together as he gathered up every ounce of his chakra. Eight poofs appeared in the room and the biggest dog Iruka had ever seen, caught the ANBU who almost fell back after fully depleting his chakra. Kakashi patted the big brown dog, "Thanks, Bull." The dog licked his mask as he steadied the man who then came face to face with a tan dog with a pug-ish face.

"Pakkun," Kakashi said simply.

"Idiot," the dog replied before turning to Iruka. "Who is he?"

"Iruka, meet my pack."

**Slim shady playing in the distance, Guess who's back? Back again~**


	4. Chapter 4

_"Iruka, meet my pack."_

Said brunette blinked as he took in the eight dogs that had been summoned. 'Bull' carefully padded over to the biggest bowl, no wonder he fed the dog so much, it was almost as big as him! Kakashi sat as still as he could and caught his breath so he didn't faint right then and there, that would've been embarrassing. He lightly patted the pug-like dog who had taken a seat on his lap, "Kak-Hound," he corrected quickly, "you should know better than to summon us in this condition."

"And let you guys starve? What kind of master would I be? Then I would have to listen to Bull's grumbling tummy and feel guilty."

"Idiot," the dog, presumably named Pakkun, growled. "Your health is more important than ours, especially since you don't even bother to care for yourself after getting injured! That's right, we can all smell the blood." Bull let out a small whine and Kakashi sighed deciding to change the topic of his injuries, "Iruka is here for that very reason, to take care of me for the time being. He did save my life a couples days ago, so be nice." Pakkun hopped off of Kakashi's lap and onto the chunin's who had been silently observing the interaction between the two.

The pug inhaled the brunette's scent, memorizing it quickly, bad things seemed to always happen to those the idiot boy cared about, hopefully it would turn out differently this time. Iruka let out a nervous chuckle as all eight dogs began silently sniffing him for no apparent reason. Honestly the whole situation was just plain weird, it seemed almost anything involving the silver-haired ANBU was always weird or different.

The pug cleared his throat after they all memorized the brunette's scent, "Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Pakkun, the big guy over there is Bull, the tan one with weird eyes is Urushi, the one with the mohawk is Shiba, Biscuit is the one with circular eyes, Uhei is the redish one, slanty eyes over there is Guruko."

"I'm Akino," the remaining member with shades said casually. Iruka nodded and lightly shook the paw Pakkun stuck out, "I'm Umino Iruka, pleased to meet you." Pakkun was silent for a minute, "You're polite, unlike that brat over there." Pakkun gestured to the ANBU with distaste, "Sorry to leave so abruptly, but the idiot's chakra is gone and having us here is only going to make it worse." The pug took in the entity that was Umino Iruka, "I hope we meet again," he said quietly. Iruka was temporarily stunned at having heard the ANBU being called a brat. He chuckled softly, hoping the other hadn't heard what Pakkun had said. It only lasted a moment as he realized that the jounin had just used the last of all of his energy to feed his dogs.

The _pack_ disappeared in eight poofs and Iruka hurriedly walked over to help the ANBU up, wanting desperately to scold him like one of his students. Iruka decided to do just that, and hooked the ANBU's shoulder over his, "Do you have a death wish?! This destructive behavior is useless! How can such a high ranking ninja like yourself not care properly for themselves? You're acting like a depressed teenager." Iruka sighed when he received no reply and simply hoisted the other up, "I'm going to check your wounds, since truthfully you shouldn't even be moving." The brunette sighed, as he thought about the brief afternoon teaching session. He had been an idiot to let the advanced ninja harm himself further because of the belief the jounin was indestructible. It was foolish, the ANBU was every bit as human as he was and he was ticked at himself for forgetting that.

Kakashi thought over what Iruka had said, a depressed teenager? He had hit the nail on the head about the depressed part, the other half wasn't exactly spot on considering he was at least a couple of years older than the chunin. Kakashi gestured to the bathroom Iruka had been looking for and he soon found himself sitting on a ceramic seat and his shirt being carefully pulled off.

Normally Iruka would've been embarrassed but he was so focused he didn't have time for the feeling. He quickly scurried out of the bathroom and back into the kitchen to get the first-aid kit he'd been smart enough to bring. Iruka was back in record time to see the jounin still sitting quietly, only holding his book of make-out paradise. The brunette blushed slightly, and he got a wash cloth out to clean the wounds Kakashi had left un-bandaged the entire day, it was a miracle he hadn't started bleeding all over the place.

"Please leave these on this time, they really do help. I can redo them in the morning since I know it's a pain to wash in." Kakashi nodded lazily as he watched Iruka work carefully on the few stab wounds. He was a relatively quick healer so he never really needed to rest as much as most or quite frankly he was just to stubborn to give a shit about the condition of his body, pushing it to the limits so many times he was forced to have a caretaker. After Iruka was done wrapping gauze around basically the ANBU's entire chest he leaned back with a satisfied smirk and helped hoist the other up. Kakashi led them to the bedroom which hadn't been exactly cleaned in a while judging by the dust. Kakashi ignored the dust and headed straight for the bed containing only a comforter.

Iruka looked around for wherever the pillow could be and frowned when he didn't find one. "I'll be back tomorrow morning and I'll have you know I'll be pissed if I find you dead on the floor somewhere. So pissed off in fact I'll somehow manage to bring you back from the dead just so I can kill you myself." Kakashi chuckled, not at Iruka, but from the way the brunette seemed to prickle at the laugh it seemed he was misunderstood again.

"I'm sorry sensei, I wasn't laughing at you. I just found it funny that I would most likely die in some random place."

"How is that funny?" Kakashi shrugged, smiling that fake coy smile behind his mask. Iruka examined him before turning to leave. He looked over his shoulder for the final time, "I'll be back tomorrow morning." Iruka closed the door behind him and Kakashi could tell the brunette's presence was no longer there after a few seconds.

The ANBU took off his mask and let it fall somewhere onto the bed. His wounds had a constant dull throbbing and the ache of his body did nothing to make him off guard. Even as he was lying in the bed in his own home he would never let his guard down. It happened once before, rouge ninja sneaking into his house while he was unawares and that was a mistake he wasn't willing to repeat. Even with his worn out body he couldn't let himself sleep, knowing if he did there would only be nightmares. He took out his book and fully prepared himself to reread the masterpiece for the millionth time.

…

"Ne, Iruka-sensei, do you know that man from earlier?" Iruka turned to see Naruto guzzling down his third bowl of ramen. It was late and Iruka had already eaten with the ANBU, but for Naruto it was never to late or early to eat ramen. Iruka had been surprised to find the boy sitting outside his door when he got home from taking care of the ANBU. Seeing the lonely boy made him forget about the earlier punishment of no ramen.

"No, I can't really say that I do. Honestly, I don't know what to think of him." Naruto grinned, "I like him! He's one of the only people that has been nice to me. One day when I'm Hokage both he and you will be my servants!"

"You want to make the people that were nice you, your servants?" Naruto blinked confusedly. Iruka laughed wholeheartedly, finally allowing himself to truly relax for the first time since he'd been in the ANBU's presence. He patted Naruto on the head, ruffling his blond hair, "I'll follow you wherever you go Naruto, I believe in you." Naruto beamed, "Thanks, Iruka-sensei!" The boy spun off his chair and ran away from the shop.

"Wait, Naruto! Where are you going?!" Iruka sighed when he found no sight of the blond and paid for the boy's ramen. He thanked the cook who stayed past closing time to make Naruto the ramen.

"Anything for my top two customers!" Teuchi replied. Iruka smiled and thanked him again before exiting the shop. He thought back to the legendary ANBU, 'Why would such a great man not take care of himself?' Iruka had seen the total disregard for health, even allowed it and that made him angry at himself. He bit his lip and continued his walk, 'How could I have been so stupid? He was injured, bleeding almost to death in front of me and then I let him teach a class of kids the very next day!'

Iruka hadn't meant to be so snappy in front of the ANBU, generally he was a very calm, level-headed person, but when he was taken from his home to care for a very uncaring ANBU who had no regard for his own life he lost control of his temper. Finding out exactly how much the ANBU didn't care about his own life based on his house had ticked him off even more. Iruka was getting peeved just thinking about it. He got attached very easily, and when he did whether they were friend or foe he couldn't stand not helping them. Thus, why he became a teacher rather than continuing to go farther in his ninja career. Iruka made his way back home and trudged into his small home. He still had no idea how the trap on his window was broken, that made Iruka more paranoid than ever, someone had managed to break into his home. Iruka was by no means weak and there was no way he would not put fairly strong traps for his home. Maybe it was that ANBU that had been sent to pick him up. Who was he kidding, of course it was some type of ANBU, they didn't just let anyone care for their people. To think he had actually attacked one when they had come to take him away. He sighed, Cat would have been fully in the right for killing him for that stunt.

Iruka pinched the the bridge of his nose, he really had to stop being so negative about things, it never helped. He laid down on his worn out couch and sighed, he still had to grade his students papers. Iruka slowly got back up and rubbed his eyes, he skimmed over Sasuke paper before marking the A+ at the top like usual, he continued the process until he got to Naruto's. He forced himself to look at the paper with only half answered questions and grade honestly marking a D- at the top. Iruka sighed, knowing exactly what the boy was going through. He laid back down in hopes of getting some sleep before he had to return to grading.

Iruka's eyes shot open as a shrill alarm pierced the air. He spun around, still disorientated and confused. Iruka ran to the room to shut the alarm clock off and cursed when he saw the time. It was 7:00 A.M and he still hadn't finished grading and completed his lesson plan for the week. He ran an irritated hand through his messy hair that had somehow escaped his ponytail while he slept. Iruka quickly gathered his things in his arms and reset his traps. He ran to the jounin's house, hoping that something catastrophic hadn't happened while he was away.

Iruka rung the doorbell twice, tapping his foot anxiously, he still had stuff to complete. The jounin opened the door but seconds later, and lazily trudged back to the couch where he had left his book.

"Good morning, sleep well?"

"I don't usually sleep," came the slow reply. The ANBU flipped a page of his porn, "You're off to a late start. From what I know you're usually at the school by this time." Iruka shrugged and looked at him, "How much do you know?"

"Enough," the jounin drawled. Iruka frowned but said nothing, and proceed to cook breakfast while under the scrutiny of the ANBU. He wasn't fooled by the book, sure the ANBU could be reading it, but Iruka could feel the eyes trained on his back. Iruka worked quickly and efficiently getting the meal ready in only ten minutes. He quickly set a piece of toast down, a bowl of miso, and a small piece of fish. The ANBU closed his book and walked towards the table.

"Thank you Iruka-sensei."

Iruka turned away and shoved the food down his throat much like Naruto would. He finished in minutes and gathered his things, not looking towards the ANBU. "I'll be back for lunch. Sorry for leaving so quickly, I'm late."

Iruka left for the school leaving a bemused jounin. Kakashi had been watching the brunette since he had stepped foot in his house. Iruka hadn't even had the time to comb his hair properly, or change out of the clothes he had so obviously worn and slept in the day before.

"I'll see you soon," he drawled to no one in particular. Kakashi liked the sound of that coming from the chunin, a little more than he would have liked to admit.

**So it's been awhile... **


End file.
